Sarah Darer Littman: Event will capture the best spirit of competition

Published
6:31 pm EDT, Thursday, March 15, 2012

If you've never visited http://TED.com, you're missing out on cutting edge, inspirational thinking. The non-profit organization started out as a conference in 1984 to bring together people at the locus of three worlds: Technology, Entertainment and Design. Since April 2007, TED has made talks available for free on its website under a Creative Commons License to further its mission of "Spreading Ideas."

Characteristic of TED audiences is that they are "united by their curiosity, open-mindedness, [and] a desire to think outside the box." That certainly describes the members of the Youth@Bruce committee, who have worked with volunteer coordinator Mary Ann Lendenmann to organize the second annual TEDxYouth@Bruce event, "The Olympic Spirit: Capturing the Moment" on Saturday, March 31 from 1-4 p.m. at Greenwich's Bruce Museum. We are extremely fortunate that their hard work, energy, and innovative ideas have brought an event of this caliber to our doorstep. Youth@Bruce was the first museum youth group in the United States to organize a TEDx event.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, said, "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

The speakers lined up for TEDxYouth@Bruce all exemplify de Coubertin's ethos.

Marlon Shirley, a gold medalist in the 2000 and 2004 Paralympic Games, is the first amputee to break 11 seconds in the 100 meters. He is a three-time world record holder and has been recognized as a "Role Model of the 21st Century" and with the US Olympic Spirit award. Shirley will be Skyping in from San Diego, where he is currently in training for track and the long jump for London 2012, about how overcoming childhood adversity was a key to his success as an Olympic athlete.

Caryn Davies, who won Olympic gold in 2008 for team rowing, will join attendees from Princeton, where she is currently in training for London 2012, to talk about working together to create a winning team.

Sarah Reinertsen, former Paralympic athlete, the first woman on a prosthetic leg to complete the Kona Ironman triathlon, and contestant on season 10 of the CBS reality show, "The Amazing Race," will discuss her life motto, "Fear Less, Live More."

Other speakers include orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr. Tim Greene on "The Science of Running"; author and New York Times contributing writer Michael Sokolove on "Capturing the Moment"; whitewater slalom bronze medalist Jamie McEwan on being "An Accidental Olympian"; Jason Rogers, Olympic silver medalist in men's team sabre and athlete ambassador for "Right to Play," on the process of training and preparation required to become an elite athlete; and Rob Prazmark, founder and CEO of 21 Sports and Marketing, a revolutionary figure in the field of sports and events marketing who has brokered more than $3 billion in sponsorship and media relationships. Prazmark will speak on "The Culture of the Games."

Kicking off the event will be a Skype visit from BBC journalist Dekan Apajee who as part of his "Dekan does 2012" series has been donning shorts and trainers (that's "sneakers" to us Yanks) and hitting the track to find out first-hand what it takes to become an Olympic and Paralympic athlete.

The TEDxYouth@Bruce is free to high school students and teachers but attendees are encouraged to register online at: http://tedxyouthbruce.com/registration due to limited space. If inspiration isn't enough of a draw, Chicken Joes and Pinkberry are providing refreshments. Grownups can view a live webcast at www.TEDxYouthBruce.com or watch the video on YouTube.com after the event.